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Officials: Teen suffered 'head bleed'

Cause of death still to be determined; state's attorney to get report today

BY CHRISTI WARREN
cwarren@saukvalley.com
800-798-4085, ext. 521

OREGON – The Oregon 18-year-old who died after being injured at an Aug. 10 underage drinking party was punched once, and also suffered a "head bleed," officials reported Tuesday.

The results of the Oregon Police Department's preliminary investigation will be given to Ogle County State's Attorney Mike Rock today, Chief Darrin DeHaan said.

Rock will review the findings and determine if he needs more information, DeHaan said, before deciding what, if any, charges will be filed in the death of Jonathan "Jon" Williams, who died Aug. 11.

After completing about 50 interviews and viewing cellphone videos taken at the party, police were able to determine that Williams was struck one time with a fist, and that no weapons were involved, DeHaan said.

Bill Hintz is Winnebago County's chief deputy coroner.

The cause of Williams' death is pending results of toxicology and pathology reports from organ and tissue donation companies, which could take at least a month to arrive, Hintz said.

He did, however, note a "major finding" that could point to a cause – a "head bleed."

DeHaan declined to say where Williams was punched, and whether he hit his head after being punched.

Partygoer Justin Coltrain, 33, of Mount Morris, said in a previous interview with SVM that Williams hit his head on concrete.

Williams was responsive, “slouched on a couch” and throwing up in the moments after the fight. Although some people there said someone should call an ambulance, Coltrain said, most thought he was just drunk.

“As far as I know, everyone thought that he was fine. They thought he was drunk [and] passed out,” he said. “I didn’t even know until the next day that he had hit his head on the concrete.”

The fight, which police say involved several people, was at a home in the 800 block of Monroe Street. The injured teen was found unresponsive at 8:19 a.m. and taken to KSB. Police had responded to a disturbance call at the same house about 5 hours earlier; at that time, they were told of a fight, but not told Williams was injured, DeHaan has said.

Williams was taken to KSB Hospital in Dixon, and then to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, where he was pronounced dead at 12:33 p.m. the next day.